"When all of us feel that we are no longer seen as citizens but as potential
suspects — a relationship of trust is impossible."

Have to
agree, all levels of government are quickly becoming the all-controlling
overlords predicted in so many dystopian novels. Overlords where laws and powers
are continually expanded to control every aspect of life.

Wow...a bit startling to learn the extent to which our current administration is
arming the "non-military" departments of the federal government. Thank
you Congressman for bringing this to our attention! With the proliferation of
laws at both the federal and state level, we are rapidly approaching the point
where the federal government can justify interrogating, detaining and arresting
just about anyone. While that would not be alarming were we to trust the
government to not cross the line, as Rep. Stewart points out, most of us do not
trust the government to respect our rights. Not a good situation, to be sure.

I think it's great you want to defund the policing units, but the
legislatures need to go a step further and forbid them to exist, immediately.
Also, any abuse needs to be punished swiftly to the actors and to those in
charge. Not investigate, eliminate.

How is it possible to reconcile this dilemma of trust between our government and
the general public when the extreme elements of the general public are the ones
making the agenda?

Mr Bundy in Nevada seemed to generate more support
for his rebellion against paying his legitimately owed fees to the American
public than did the efforts of the government to enforce a legitimate law? Was
it legitimate to jail the polygamist who terrorized the RLDS communities and
forced children to marry old codgers? Climate change deniers lack any semblance
of credibility, yet it is dogma of one our political parties. These extremes
and others are manipulated for the public sympathies by so-called conservative
commentators to garner sympathies for their bizarre thinking.

I know
that this piece would never have been written by this author if G W Bush was in
office. I know that conservative voices would not constantly harangue and
delegitimize the current President (show me the Birth Certificate!!!). This is
just another attempt to tear apart the fabric of our democracy for political
gain.

The people the author talks about have broken the law. Transporting illegal
milk across state lines surely breaks all kinds of laws. Say what you will
about the benefits of un-pasturized milk, it's still illegal. Like pot.
As for federal snipers for the rancher, the well-armed response of Mr. Bundy and
his supporters justifies the belt and suspenders approach.

Yes,
Americans do distrust their government. Both parties. The reason lies behind
the heavy corruption caused by unlimited spending by the uber wealthy and large
corporations. Free speech is for sale, as is the freedoms our founding fathers
fought for. The wealthy new royals in America don't pay their fair share,
they take and keep more than they need, and they put their money offshore,
export jobs and they don't shed their blood for our country. No, they let
the poor do that ... in defense of their financial interests.

The irrefutable fact is that the public cannot trust the current left-wing
administration because the current left-wing administration has proven that it
is untrustworthy.

The left has misled the public about Benghazi and
the IRS's role in silencing conservative organizations, to name just two
examples. Then, when caught, the left seeks to obfuscate and hide what has
really happened.

Thomas F. Meagher once said that "sunlight is
the best disinfectant." This is what is required for trust: open and
transparent dealing by the government.

This country has changed so much just in the past few years and
not for the better. One example is that gay have come out of the closet, which I
am fine with, but it seems christians have been shoved into that closet now and
if you speak your mind on gay getting married you are deemed a racist and can
lose your job and be pretty much an outcast. People now fear that if they speak
out against the President the IRS will be coming through the door. What happened
to people speaking their mind and not worrying about the government coming down
on them? Serving in the military I would like to beleive I defend peoples right
to the 1st Amendment and it is looking more and more like people do not have
those rigths any more.

"...The simple reality is that Americans will never trust Washington...who
can trust a government that believes it is OK to lie to you, spy on you, target
you and then arm its agencies against you?...".

Exactly.

"...The heart of the problem is that the federal government no longer
trusts the American people....we are no longer seen as citizens but as potential
suspects...".

Ok.

BTW...

A complete failure
to protect America while Republicans controlled the government (9-11) have
anything to do with this breach of trust?

Two wars started on
Republican talking points have anything to do with this breach of trust?

Medicare Part D shoved down the throats of Americans by a Republican
controlled government have anything to do with this breach of trust?

Republican policies shoved down the throats of Americans leading up to an
economic meltdown have anything to do with this breach of trust?

A
Republican controlled SCOTUS have anything to do with this breach of trust?

Until Republican Kingmakers and the Republican Political Machine address
these realities...

Stevo123 & Ordinary Folks illustrate the larger problem in America. They
ignore the reality that government agencies are abusing their power and have no
business having paramilitary/SWAT enforcers. Rather, Stevo & Ordinary People
take the position that this is about something else, I.e., Bush or Bundy's
action. Do they not know that the federal agencies have stockpiled hundreds of
millions of rounds of ammunition and purchased armored vehicles. And at the risk
of being accused as hating Obama, have they forgotten that he called for an
armed civilian force funded as much as the military and as well organized? An
uniformed or uncaring electorate ready to justify and accept federal policies
over ruling personal liberties and armed agencies bullying citizens is a greater
danger to Americans than the act of an individual such as Bundy.

Many in Utah
don't trust Washington. A lot of others in Utah don't trust the Utah
Legislature. There is some overlap in these groups, but not a lot.

Representative Stewart seems to be saying here that it's OK to disregard
federal laws you don't like, and if you owe 20 years in fees to the US,
that's OK, there should never be any enforcement.

I would trust
Representative Stewart a little more if he agreed that Cliven Bundy needs to be
held to account for owing the citizens of the US over a $1 Million, and that
Cliven's son needs to be held to account for illegally entering areas that
have been closed, on land owned by all Americans.

If Stewart
can't agree on these two points, he is to be trusted less than he is now.

The heart of the problem is that the federal government no longer trusts the
American people. When all of us feel that we are no longer seen as citizens but
as potential suspects — a relationship of trust is impossible."

Yes, move all those
enforcement agency funds to our military, the real defense of our country, and
to the veterans administration, after you have house-cleaned the corruption in
it. But then we can't count on this administration to out corruption
anywhere in the government, not the NSA, not the IRS, not the VA, not anywhere.

Anyone else find it ironic that a sleazy tea party Congressmen who collected his
paycheck when he helped to shut down the government (while millions suffered) is
talking about the public's distrust of the government?

Maybe Mr.
Stewart should look at himself?Maybe people distrust the government
because of Mr. Stewart's actions? Maybe people actually trust the
government but distrust sleaze balls like Mr. Stewart?

I love it when
folks like Mr. Stewart talk about the distrust of the government... So what are
you doing to fix that Mr. Stewart? Or when he talks about hating the
government... So if you hate it so much, why are you a part of it?

It
appears that Mr. Stewart doesn't have any solutions. All he wants to do is
play political games of trying to convince the public to "hate
Washington" but love "your Congressmen." Even though, it's
sleazy Swallow-like Congressmen who are bought off and beholden to special
interest which causes the public's distrust of its elected officials.

The author uses great license when he invokes "America" and, as I
interpret it, implies a collective "we". If anything, there is greater
trust issue among citizens and the dysfunctionality now on display in Washington
is merely mirroring "Americans" if we truly have a representative
democracy. If this is not so, the system is corrupted. If so, the elementary
school who, what, when, where, why and how research needs to be performed. But
maybe we need to separate true Americans from posers (a "who" question).
Please, Chris ... do enlighten us!

Some civil liberties lawyers estimate that the average adult US citizen commits
some obscure federal felony every single day because of the number of laws
Congress has passed. These include postal laws, securities laws, tax laws, gun
laws, on and on. If this is true, all the federal government needs to do to
eliminate opposition is to assign a federal agent (or the NSA) to tail or
monitor the rabble rouser for a short period of time, charge him or her with the
obscure crime, conduct forfeiture proceedings to confiscate his or her assets,
what assets are not confiscated need to be sold cheap to afford defense
attorneys, and in the end, imprison the person. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas
Mavericks and co-star of the show Shark Tank talked about how the feds targeted
him for some federal offense he didn't commit, offered him a plea bargain
if he would admit guilt. Fortunately, he had the money to fight to clear his
name. 8 million dollars in attorney fees later he was found not guilty. How
many Americans have that kind of money to fight a federal indictment. Wake up
folks!

Just how, then, do you propose to enforce Federal laws if there are no
enforcement capabilities, Rep. Stewart? Unpasteurized milk can kill people.
It's illegal to transport it without certification. Should the FDA simply
stand by and say tsk tsk, please don't? Should an FDA official show up at
the crook's door and plead with him not to do this terrible thing? Then
wait while the crook shoots him down? Again, how do you propose to enforce the
laws of Congress, Congressman?

So the fallacy of this article and most of the arguments in the comments is the
belief the current administration is to blame for all these issues. Somehow this
country magically started on Jan 20, 2009. These policies that Stewart decry
have been in place for a long time now. Many were enacted under Republican
administrations. But now, all of a sudden people have issues with them.